My Loneliness
by Anime Master ZERO
Summary: The tragic story of Sean Obihiro, from the day he received the dreaded news about his parents to the birth of the Netmafia known as Gospel, and his thirst for revenge the entire way.
1. The News

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the MegaMan series; that includes Sean (Shuryou/Shun).

We all know what happened to Sean (Shuryou/Shun) prior to _MegaMan Battle Network 2_, but not in great detail. This is just my little spoof on how I think his life was before the game.

***********************************************************************************************************************

****

MY LONLINESS

Prologue

The News

The four-year-old boy tossed and turned in bed vigorously, making incoherent noises as he thrashed about. His eyes suddenly snapped open and he bolted up in bed.

__

It was just a dream, he thought, _but it was so real._ Bringing his arm up to his face, he wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his pyjama top. A feeling in his lower regions told him he needed to go. Pushing the covers off his body, he slid out of bed and made his way out of the room and into the hallway. Making sure he wouldn't wake anybody up, he carefully made his way to the bathroom, being sure to avoid the creaky area in the middle of the floor.

The boy suddenly stopped after feeling something brush past his bare foot. Glancing down, he saw that it was just the household cat. Crouching down, he put a finger to his lips and let out a quiet "Shh" before continuing on. His hand soon came to rest on the bathroom doorknob. Slowly, he turned it and walked in.

"Cold floor. Cold floor," he whispered as his feet touched the ice-cold floor tiles. Closing the door behind him, he felt his way towards the light switch and flicked it on. The boy instantly brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the bathroom lights. Upon seating himself on the toilet, the boy took a moment to think about his dream he had just woken up from not too long ago.

__

It seamed so real. It was almost as if it really happened, he thought. Satisfied, he pulled his pyjama bottom back on and flushed. After quickly washing his hands, the boy made his way back to bed. Climbing back among his sheets, he pulled the covers up to his neck and laid there for a few minutes before closing his eyes and slowly drifting back to sleep.

***

The boy awoke to the sound of running feet and voices outside his door. Turning over onto his back he yawned and stretched. Ever since his midnight awakening, he had spent the rest of the night in a dreamless sleep. Getting out of bed, he opened his door into the hallway and walked over to the bathroom. Not surprisingly, he found it locked.

"Who's in there?" he called out as he rapped his knuckles against the door.

"I am," a male voice replied.

The boy sighed and leaned against the wall. He could hear moans coming from the other side of the door. After a half-hour later, the door opened and a teenaged boy walked out. The former quickly went in and locked the door behind him. Taking out a stool that was stored between the counter and the toilet, he placed it in front of the counter, stood up on it, and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror.

"Bed hair," he muttered as he grabbed his toothbrush. A few minutes later, he was sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of corn flakes in front of him. As he ate, he listened the TV in the next room.

"And that's it for sports," the newscaster announced, "And now for a look at world news. Last night at approximately 1:13 AM our time, a plane was reported to have disappeared from scanners as it was heading towards Electopia. Officials were quick and found the plane after a witness had spotted it go down. Traces of virus activity were found inside the craft's main computer system."

"Officials believe that these viruses were implanted into the system deliberately," the boy heard a female voice speak, "We now take you to an interview with one of the officials."

By now, the boy had left the table carrying his bowl of cereal and sat down at the coffee table in front of the TV in the living room. He could see a young woman wearing a green frog-shaped cap. Next to her was a brown-haired man wearing a lab coat and a pair of green sunglasses.

"Thank you, Ray," said the woman, "This is Ribbita and I'm standing with a man from the Official headquarters, Mr. Famous. Mr. Famous, thank you for your time here."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ribbita," the one called Mr. Famous said.

"So tell us exactly what you think is going on."

"Of course. Well, we were able to salvage the plane and after performing a scan of the computers, we've determined that the cause of its failings was due to a virus implanted into the system. We ran through the official records and I can safely say that this could be, in fact, the biggest NetCrime ever."

"Interesting. Have any of the bodies been identified yet?" Ribbita asked.

"Only a few. But once all the casualties have been identified, we'll notify their families right away," Mr. Famous replied.

"Well you heard it here first, folks. This is Ribbita from DNN News and now back to you, Ray."

"Hey boy," the man sitting on the sofa called, "Shouldn't you be getting dressed." The boy nodded silently and quickly finished his breakfast. He took his bowl and spoon to the sink and went upstairs to his bedroom, unbuttoning his pyjama top along the way. He son reached his room and changed into a pair of grey pants, a pair of white socks, and a red T-shirt. He was just zipping up his blue and white hooded sweatshirt when he was called downstairs. He walked into the kitchen where he saw a woman with light brown hair working at the counter.

"You called?" he asked timidly.

"Well yes," the woman replied, "Do you think you can help me get dinner ready tonight? We're expecting guests and your uncle has to work and your cousins have school."

"Yes, auntie," the boy replied. He put on the small apron that was handed to him and stepped onto the stool that had been placed at the sink. He could see a large pile of fruits and vegetables right next to it.

"Wash those," his aunt ordered. The boy obediently plugged the sink and turned on the water. As he waited for it to fill, he thought back to the news report on TV.

__

I wonder who could've done it, he thought as he rolled up his sleeves. By lunchtime, the produce had been washed and after a quick bowl of ramen, the boy was left on the living room couch watching TV while his aunt finished up in the kitchen. As _Denta and Denko_ came to and end, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Door!" he called out, keeping his hands wrapped around a cushion just as he had always done whenever he watched television. He aunt came in from the kitchen and walked past the living room to the door. He could here her opening it and the sound of footsteps as someone entered.

"Here he is." The boy's aunt walked into the living room. Behind her was a man with blond hair and blue eyes wearing grey pants and a spotless blue jacket. The young child turned from the TV for a moment and looked up at the newcomer.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Is this your name?" the man asked as he held out a piece of paper. The boy took it and looked at the writing for a moment before looking up and nodding.

"Well son, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." The man sat down next to the boy.

"I'll leave you two alone. I have a pot to attend to." The aunt turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving the two alone in the living room.

"Well," the boy began.

"Well…"

The boy looked down at his socked feet for a moment. He was a little uncomfortable, talking to someone he had never met before.

"Let me introduce myself," the man said, "I'm John, an Official NetBattler. Have you ever heard of Mr. Famous?" The boy looked up at the man.

"Y-yes," he replied remembering the news broadcast earlier that day.

"Well, he sent me to find you," continued the Official, "And I'm afraid I've got some bad news." The boy sank back.

"Well you see, your parents were on their way home after a business trip. Their plane ran into troubles on its way back from Netopia when a virus somehow managed to get into its computers…"

That was all the boy heard. He bolted from the sofa, dropping the cushion in the process and ran into his room. He buried his face in his pillow and started crying. The Official came and stood just outside the door. He watched the boy as he cried. He wasn't one to bring bad news, especially to children like the boy, but he knew what he had to do. There was no other way to tell him.

"I'm sorry, Sean."

***********************************************************************************************************************

And so ends the prologue. In the next chapter, Sean will go through the harshness of living with his relatives. They only seemed nice in this chapter, but now that they know that Sean's parents are gone, things are going to be different around the house.

Hope you enjoyed reading and please don't forget to review!


	2. Starting a New Life

****

Disclaimer: All official MegaMan characters and concepts are properties of Capcom.

Okay, I was originally going to have Sean's life living with his relatives and his journey to Kotobuki as two separate chapters, but the fic sort of had a mind of its own and so they've come together into this one chapter.

******************************************************************************

****

MY LONELINESS

Starting a New Life

Sean awoke to the familiar banging, pounding, and shouting coming from down below. Moaning, he turned and glanced at his PET. The clock read 7:15. He stretched out his limbs and yawned before throwing aside his covers and getting out of bed. It had been about four years since he had learned about his parents' deaths in the plane crash. He was eight now and nearly turning nine, although he expected that no one would care. Ever since he had received the tragic news, he was forced to live with the relatives he had been staying with at the time and life was never easy. His cousins constantly harassed him and his aunt and uncle were no better.

Sean opened the door and walked downstairs to the second floor. About a year after he had heard the news, his aunt and uncle had another baby and he was forced to abandon his room and move up to possibly the coldest room in the whole house: the attic. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, a pair of forms ran right past him, causing him to fall backwards onto the steps.

"Watch it, cousin!" one of the figures said as the two turned a corner down the hall. Sean groaned as he got back up and trudged over to the bathroom. Seeing that no one was in sight, he slipped in without being seen and locked the door behind him. Standing in front of the mirror, he looked into his reflection.

__

Looks like it's going to be another day of torment. Sean opened the cabinet and grabbed his toothbrush only to find the bristles covered in some sort of disgusting green gunk.

"Uncle's going to kill me for this. Again." Sean sighed as he tossed out the brush and got a new one from underneath the sink. "Note to self: not labeling own toothbrush doesn't work either." Breakfast wasn't any better. The milk had gone sour, the toast was burnt, and the Corn Pops had completely been cleaned out. Sean let out yet another sigh.

__

Man, I gotta have my Pops. (A/N: Sorry, I couldn't resist) Grabbing the first piece of uneaten edible food, which happened to be a banana, Sean quickly ate and then went back upstairs to get changed. As he was just closing his backpack, he could here his aunt bidding his cousins a good time at school.

"She doesn't even know the half of what they're really like there," Sean muttered as he slung his bag over his shoulders and went downstairs. He quickly put on his shoes and then headed out to the bus stop.

"Well if it isn't orphan boy," one of the older kids at the stop jeered as Sean approached, "I'm surprised you'd show your face again after what we did to you yesterday."

__

Don't talk to them. Don't even look at them, Sean thought to himself over and over again. he failed to notice one of his cousins sneaking up on him from behind until he grabbed the waistband of his underwear and pulled upward.

"Look at the wittle baby cwy!" said another of the cousins as the one who was holding onto Sean's briefs continued to give him a wedgie. Sean stayed in that position until the bus arrived. He uncomfortably got onto the bus and slowly sat down in the front-most seat.

__

At least the bus driver can keep an eye out for me, he thought as he tried to re-straighten his underwear as best as he could. Everyday, Sean had to endure at least four wedgies. One time he tried going commando to avoid them. Unfortunately, his schoolmates decided to pants him that day for a change. He still remembered it as one of the most embarrassing days of his life.

As the bus waited at a red light, the driver turned to see Sean sitting in his usual front seat depressed as usual. She reached into the glove compartment and took out a sucker, which she gave to the boy. Smiling, Sean took the piece of candy, took off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth. After thirty minutes, the bus arrived at the school and all the kids piled out. Sean took the wrapper and the now-bare stick of his sucker out and tossed them into the garbage before heading inside. He walked into his third grade classroom and placed his book bag on the hook labeled "Sean Obihiro" before walking over to his desk and sitting down. Despite the fact that sitting in the front row allowed the teacher to keep an eye on him, his position had one major disadvantage. Whenever the teacher had her back turned to the class while she wrote on the board, his classmates would take the opportunity to shoot spitballs, paper wasps, and elastic bands at his head.

"Good morning, class," the teacher greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mrs. Noakes," the class greeted back. (A/N: I just picked a random name out of the phone book.)

"Now class, let's begin today with a review of our math." Mrs. Noakes turned around to write on the blackboard and Sean immediately pulled on his hood. Already he could feel spitballs bouncing off the back of his head.

__

Looks like it's going to be another long day, he thought. At around ten o'clock, the bell rang signaling the beginning of morning recess. As usual, Sean stayed indoors. It was bad enough that he got abused at home and in the school; he didn't need to endure even more punishment, especially since the teacher supervisors were never close enough whenever any real trouble started. As soon as everyone left the room, Sean walked over to his backpack and took out a few toys he had brought along.

"Sean?" The boy looked towards the door and saw a girl from another third grade class whom he knew.

"Alina." Sean stood up. Alina was the only one at the school who truly knew exactly how he felt, mainly because she had put up with pretty much the same things as Sean. The only friends either of them had were each other and even then they had only known one another for a couple of months. She was wearing blue jeans, a pink sweatshirt, and a small necklace that Sean had made for her and given to her on her birthday.

Alina grabbed a chair and sat down while Sean just took his own seat at his desk. The two of them played for a bit until the bell rang, signaling the end of recess.

"I'll see you later, Sean," Alina said as she got up. She put her chair back and left the classroom with Sean waving his hand behind her. He quickly stuffed his toys back into his backpack and returned to his seat just as everyone else walked back in.

"Well class, now that you're all settled back in it's time you got back your math tests," announced Mrs. Noakes. A lot of the students groaned. The teacher took a stack of papers from her desk and began walking around the room, placing each quiz on each student's respective desk facedown. Sean, upon receiving his test back, flipped the paper over and looked at his mark. A 100% stood out in the top right-hand corner in red ink.

__

At least it's comforting to know that I'm doing well grade-wise, he thought. At around twelve o'clock, lunchtime rolled around and everyone went to the lunchroom except for Sean. He always ate lunch in the classroom with his teacher, feeling that it was probably the safest thing to do during that one hour. There was no possibly way that no one would dare hurt him while he was under direct teacher supervision. Unfortunately, he realized a little too late that that didn't include indirect attacks when he tried to get up to put his lunch bag into the garbage and found that he couldn't get up. Someone had put glue on his seat and now Sean was stuck.

__

I'm running out of pants, he thought to himself as he gave his teacher the hand signal that he was stuck and she went to his bag to get the extra pair of pants he had brought along with him. When lunch was finally over, the janitor had moved Sean's old desk out and replaced it with a new one and Sean himself had changed his pants. The next hour or so was spent on social studies, which wasn't exactly Sean's forte but he was still able to maintain a fairly good mark. However, it was nothing compared to the class he had next. Sean hung near the back as his class moved from the classroom to the school gymnasium. Upon reaching the locker rooms, he went to his gym locker, which was located in a secluded corner, and took out his gym clothes. He changed as quickly as he could and then stepped into the cold gym. As he did, he failed to see the two larger students grab him from behind and give him his second wedgie of the day.

"Hey Obihiro, that's for…nothing at all!" one of the bullies mocked as Sean straightened out his sorts and underwear.

"Okay kids, listen up!" the gym teacher said upon entering, "Today, we're going to be continuing with baseball." The class went outside onto the diamond and teams were quickly selected. The other team was up to bat, first. As Sean stood in at first base, he thought back on the past four years and all that had happened since he first received news of his parents' death, which would have also accounted for the fact that his attention was elsewhere when the ball flew towards his direction and hit him between his legs. Sean fell to the ground, clutching his crotch in extreme pain.

"Time out!" The gym teacher ran over to Sean and slowly moved him over to the bench, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Sean replied as he tried to relieve the pain, but to no avail.

"They didn't mean it," the teacher assured him, "It was just an accident. I'm sure they didn't hit you on purpose."

"Don't count on it," Sean muttered darkly. He ended up sitting out the rest of the game and hobbled back to the locker room to change back into his normal clothes. After changing back, he closed his locker and stuffed his gym clothes inside his bag. Third recess followed and he remaining in the classroom, as usual. He was busy doing some homework Mrs. Noakes had assigned them earlier that day when the PA system came on.

"Sean Obihiro, please report to the nurse's office. Sean Obihiro, to the nurse's office." Sean quickly closed up his book and them and his pencils away before getting up and walking down the hall to the nurse's office.

__

I wonder what this is about, he thought to himself as he arrived. He knocked on the door and the school nurse answered it.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Dimas?"

"Yes, Sean. Please, come in." Mr. Dimas opened the door wider and allowed Sean to step through. His eyes went wide at the sight before him. There on the bed as Alina covered with cuts, blood, and bruises. He ran over to her and immediately grabbed her hand.

"Alina! What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"She was caught in a corner near the basketball courts," Mr. Dimas answered, "She was trying to run away from some bullies who wanted her necklace."

"They…almost…got it," Alina gasped, "But…they didn't."

"What exactly happened?" Sean place his other hand on his friend's and looked into her gentle eyes.

"One of them…had a….knife…" Alina coughed and fresh blood spilled out of her mouth.

"Alina, hold on! I know you can make it. You've always been able to."

"I'm afraid they did some critical damage to her body," said Mr. Dimas, "I'm afraid she won't…"

"You mean?" Sean looked over at the school nurse, "You mean she'll…" Mr. Dimas nodded solemnly.

"First my parents. And now…my friend," Sean threw his head back and screamed, "**NO!!!!**"

"Sean…." Sean opened his eyes and looked at Alina.

"Here," she said weakly as she held out her hand. Sean opened up his own and Alina deposited the necklace that Sean had given her, except it was now ruined, undoubtedly from when the bullied tried to grab it from her.

"Please Sean, don't forget me."

"Alina, no! Don't talk like that! You're my best friend! My only friend! Please Alina, you can't die on me! I won't let it!"

"Sean, we've both had a bad life. Maybe…this is what's best for me." Sean could feel his friend's grip slackening. Gradually, her hand became limp and her eyes closed, never to open ever again. Sean shut his tear-filled eyes tightly and screamed at the top of his lungs.

***

A week after Alina had passed away, her funeral was being held. Sean stood in front of his bedroom mirror adjusting the black tie around his neck. He then grabbed his black suit jacket and put it on before going downstairs.

"And where do you think you're going?" his uncle asked.

"We're going to Alina's funeral," Sean answered, "remember?"

"Oh, that. We ain't going."

"WHAT?!?!"

"It's Jessica's birthday party today. We can't having you go off to some dead girl's thing when we've got more important things to deal with right here at home."

"But Alina was my friend! My ONLY friend! I gotta go and pay my last respects to her!" Sean protested.

"Well I don't see where that becomes my problem," his uncle replied before turning back to the TV, "Now go help your aunt set up for the party."

"That is IT! I have had it with this stupid family!" Sean shouted.

"Don't you shout at me, boy!"

"I can shout all I like! You don't care for me! You never have and you never will! You only took me in because you wanted my inheritance!"

"Now look here, Shane…" Sean's uncle said as he stood up.

"See? You don't care for me at all! You can't even say my name correctly! It's _Sean_!"

"SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE KID!" A large hand came down on Sean's check and knocked him down to the floor. The boy reached up and touched where his uncle's ring had cut him. With eyes filled with anger and hatred, he looked up at his uncle one last time before running up to his room and slamming the door behind him.

Sean didn't receive any dinner that night and so he stayed locked in his room surfing the Net. He had managed to bandage the cut on his cheek, but it still stung incredibly.

"Sean."

"What is it, Andante?" Sean asked his standard NetNavi.

"You've got a message."

"Play it for me."

"Of course." Andante reached for a lower corner of the computer monitor and pulled up a video screen, displaying an unknown Navi that Sean had never seen in his life.

"I hear that you're unsatisfied with your life."

"That's the understatement of the millennium," Sean muttered.

"I can help you, Sean."

"How do you know my name?"

"There are many others like you out there in this world besides you and your deceased friend."

"How do you know about Alina?" Sean demanded, "Answer me!"

"Please, Sean. I'm a NetNavi. Information travels quickly across the Net. You want to leave this environment, do you not?"

"I do, but there's no possible way. My door is locked from the outside and the windows have all been barred."

"Poor child. For years, people have wronged you. They tormented you day in and day out. They even took away the one person who ever cared for you."

Sean opened up his desk drawer and took out the remains of Alina's necklace, which he was going to place into the casket at her funeral.

"They should pay for that they've done," the NetNavi continued.

"They should. But who am I to judge?" Sean asked.

"You are the most important," the Navi replied, "They have wronged you, so you have the right to punish them. I can help." Sean looked down at his feet for a moment.

"What must I do?"

"Just follow my instructions carefully."

Late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Sean took out a metal file and began sawing his way through the bars that covered his window. After an hour, he was finally able to get free. As soon as he was done, he grabbed his backpack, which contained his toothbrush, some toothpaste, a bunch of clothes, and some other personal belongings, and slung it over his shoulders. He then grabbed his laptop and slid the strap over his head and onto one shoulder. Finally, he grabbed his PET from the charger and placed it into its case at his hip before pulling on a pair of gloves. Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He slid them on, squeezed on his baseball cap, and pulled his hood over his head, securing it in place with the drawstrings. Making sure no one was outside, he tied one end of a long rope he had made with his bed sheets and curtains to a single bar that he had left unsawed while tying the other around his waist. Using his chair for support, he managed to climb over the windowsill and onto the roof.

__

Okay, Sean. You can do this. Ever so carefully, he made his way to the drainpipe and grabbed onto it. Closing his eyes, he slid down it and landed on the ground with a soft thud. He quickly untied the sheet from around his waist and ran away. He caught a bus downtown with what little pocket change he had and rode it for a half-hour. Upon reaching his destination, he made his way over to the bank and jacked his PET into the terminal outside.

"Andante, withdraw all my money and close my account," Sean ordered.

"At once," his Navi replied. Numbers flashed across the screen and reflected off his sunglasses as he watched all the zenny in his account transfer out of the bank and into his PET.

"The transfer was successful," said Andante, "Your uncle and aunt have spent a fair twenty percent of the total ,but there's still plenty."

"I just hope it's enough," said Sean.

"So, where to now?"

"We'll stop by someplace for some food before we begin our long trip." Sean walked through the downtown district and stopped outside a small noodle restaurant. Walking over, he set his bags down and lifted himself onto one of the stools.

"Hey there, boy. What are you doing out this late at night?" the man behind the counter asked.

"I just came into town," Sean lied as the server handed him a menu.

"Oh. tough trip?"

"I've still got a way to go before I reach my destination." Sean scanned the menu for a moment before closing it and handing it back to the server, "I'll have the chicken."

"Coming up." While Sean waited, he took out his PET and began speaking with his Navi.

"Andante, where's the nearest metro station?"

"It's a good distance away from here," Andante replied, "Sean, are you sure about this?"

"Completely," said Sean as his food was placed before him, "I've had enough." He put his PET away and looked down at the bowl of noodles with pieces of chicken laid overtop. He thanked the server and split his chopsticks before eating his late-night dinner. After he had finished, the server took away his empty bowl and dumped out any soup he hadn't drunken.

"Is that all?"

"Yes," Sean answered.

"How will you be paying?"

"NetCash." Sean picked up his bags and accompanied the server over to the register. He jacked in and Andante paid for the meal.

"Do you know where the nearest grocery store is?" asked Sean.

"The closest one that's still open should be few blocks down that way and make a right on fifty-ninth."

"Thank you." Sean grabbed a toothpick and stuck it in his mouth before leaving the restaurant. He followed the server's directions and soon found himself at his intended destination. Grabbing a basket from the rack near the door, Sean walked up and down the aisles looking for any non-perishable food items. When he came out, he had bought two weeks' worth of ramen, three large bottles of water, several cans of fish, meat, and fruit, a small can opener, and a roll of toilet paper.

"Sean, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Andante.

"Don't worry, Andante," Sean affirmed his Navi.

"I'm just not quite sure if we can trust this mysterious Navi."

"I don't trust him either, but he's currently my only means of getting away from here."

With his groceries now in hand, Sean walked to the nearest metro station and went to the long distance travel office.

"Excuse me," he said as he approached the woman behind the desk.

"How may I help you?" she asked when she heard Sean's voice.

"What's the farthest I can get for one million zenny?"

"Let me just run a quick check." The woman checked the files on her computer and turned to Sean a few minutes later. "One million zenny can get you as far either DenTech City or Kotobuki Town."

__

DenTech's a big city, Sean thought to himself, _It might be easy to hide there for a while. But then again, sometimes they can have the nastiest people there. Kotobuki, on the other hand, is small. Small town mentality usually involves friendlier people._

"I'll take the ticket to Kotobuki Town."

"Alright then. How will you be paying?"

"NetCash," answered Sean as he took out his PET and jacked in to the port in front of him. Andante paid up and the woman handed him his ticket.

"May I ask as to why you're going?" she inquired, "Are you running away? People who run away usually ask what's the farthest they can go for a certain amount."

__

Damn! There goes my "visiting family" excuse, Sean thought to himself.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say," was his reply as he took his ticket and walked over to the gate. He slid it in through one and it popped out the other, opening the doors for him. Sean immediately walked over to a directory and looked up the platform for the train to Kotobuki.

__

Platform 7, bottommost level, he read mentally,_ Times are seven AM and six PM_. Sean looked at the clock on his PET screen. It read 2:01 AM.

"It's going to be at least five hours," he grumbled to himself. Sean headed for the elevator, but found that it was undergoing repairs. So he took the stairs down to the bottommost level. Save for a homeless man asleep in a corner, nobody else was down there when he arrived.

"It's going to be a long wait," Sean thought out loud as he sat down on a bench. He put down his food supply and took off his backpack and laptop case. He took out his laptop and turned it on. As soon as it had finished booting up, the mysterious Navi appeared on the screen.

"How have things been?"

"I'm a few hours, I'll be out of this hellhole," Sean replied, "What do I do next?"

"Once you reach your destination, you'll need to set up a network," answered the Navi, "You've got all the money you need. Find a place and turn that into your headquarters. Set up servers wherever possible. Once you have control of the Net, you'll have the world in your grasp. However, you won't be able to do it alone."

"What do you mean?"

"The world is a big place and you're only one person. But don't get yourself down. There are many others who share the same pains as you. They'll be willing to lend a hand."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

A few more minutes passed and Sean finally shut off his laptop and put it away. For the rest of the time, he pondered about what the Navi had said to him.

__

Will people really help me fight for my cause?

****

***FOUR HOURS LATER***

"All passengers for the KotoLine, please stand behind the yellow line. All passengers for the KotoLine, please stand behind the yellow line."

Sean kept his hand on his cap as the train blew into the station. It soon came to a stop and the doors opened. Unlike most subway trains, this one had padded seats, all facing the front of the train. Storage spaces for luggage were located above the seats and at the ends of each car. Sean walked over to a nearby row and placed his belongings in the aisle seat before taking the one close to the window. After a few minutes had passed, the doors closed and he could feel the train moving forward.

"Andante, how long is the ride?"

"Approximately five hours." Sean sighed and shifted in his seat. He pulled his cap down over his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. He knew he could have slept while waiting for the train, but he didn't want to risk having anything stolen.

The train eventually arrived at its destination. Sean yawned as he disembarked. He walked up the steps out of the station and into town. The moment he exited into the street, he was hit with the bright sunlight.

__

I should find a place to stay, he thought as he walked through the streets. He checked out a few apartment buildings and eventually found one with a reasonable rate.

"Well, the only apartment I have available is the penthouse," the manager explained.

"It's alright. I don't mind," said Sean. He paid the manager and received his key. He walked over to the elevator and rode it to the thirtieth floor. He entered the apartment and looked around. The living room was spacious and completely furnished. A door on the side led to a large bedroom, which, unlike the living room, was completely devoid of any furniture.

"Plenty of space. This will do nicely." Sean walked back into the living room and set down his things. He placed all his food into storage and took his role of toilet paper into the bathroom. After hanging up his jacket and cap and putting away his sunglasses, he sat down at the table, turned on his laptop and connected his PET to it.

"Andante, I'm going to need equipment. Lots of equipment."

"Anything in particular?"

"I want to set up a network. Use up as much of my inheritance as possible."

"Right away." Andante logged out of Sean's computer and went straight to the Net.

"Now," Sean leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, "Time to start recruiting."

******************************************************************************

Come to think of it, I think this works much better than my old idea of writing two separate chapters. It definitely turned out better than I had anticipated.

Anyway, please review my fic, people.


	3. Net Friends

**Disclaimer:** All official MegaMan characters are property of Capcom.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

**MY LONELINESS**

**Net Friends**

"Happy birthday, Sean!" Andante called from his PET as Sean finished lighting all nine candles on the cake that sat on the table in front of him.

"At least it's happier than my several previous ones," Sean replied. He leaned back in his chair for a moment and closed his eyes. It had been a couple of months since the night he ran away from his relatives' home and arrived at Kotobuki. Part of his fortune had already been spent on computer servers, which now occupied a great deal of his penthouse apartment.

"Well, aren't you going to blow them out?" asked Andante. Sean slowly leaned forward, drew in a breath, and then blew out the candles. The only sound of applause in the room was that coming from his PET.

"Happy birthday to me," the young boy said to himself solemnly.

"Don't feel so down, Sean. I've still got a birthday present for you," said Andante. He opened up a window and displayed it on his screen for Sean to see.

"I've got the replies to the message you posted on the net." Sean's face instantly brightened up.

"Really?" he asked his Navi.

"I vowed that I would never betray your trust," Andante replied.

"Upload them onto my computer quickly," said Sean as he jacked his PET into his laptop. A short moment later, the messages appeared on the screen and Sean read through them all.

–––––––––––––––

**Subject: **RE: Cruel Society

**Sender:** NS-Man

Dear sir, I know how you feel. My parents died and my brother and I were taken into separate families. He was taken into a rich family while I was stuck with a poor one. Ever since, I've always felt that the people of this world are the ones responsible for all my shortcomings. But I didn't let that stop me. I worked hard to earn plenty of money and now I own as vast fortune and even my own company. However, there's still a place in my heart that can't forgive society. Your message intrigued me when I came across it one day. You and I seem to have much in common. Perhaps our NetNavis can meet online sometime.

–––––––––––––––

"So? What do you think?" asked Andante.

"Trace the source of this one," ordered Sean. Andante nodded and started scanning the net for traces of where the message came from while his operator read the next message.

–––––––––––––––

**Subject:** RE: Cruel Society

**Sender:** Speedy

Everyday people go about their daily lives in the cities, but they have no concern for the environment. Day in and day out, they continue to use up all our natural resources and dump all their waste into the rivers and lakes. Every time I look up, I can see smog rising up into the air. Deforestation is also a common sight. The people of this world have no idea that what they are doing is wrong. If only they could be stopped, but I don't know how to go about it. When I read your post, I thought you might have some answers, which is why I've replied to your message. If you can help me save the environment, I will be eternally grateful.

–––––––––––––––

"This guy sounds like a real nature lover," Sean said to himself between mouthfuls of cake, "Let's see what the next one has to say."

–––––––––––––––

**Subject:** RE: Cruel Society

**Sender:** Arashi

This may sound petty, but please hear me out. I was once the CEO of a very big company. We were among one of the top manufacturers in the world. But one day, we were bought out by an even larger corporation and in the downsizing I lost my position and my job. Now I can never stand those greedy bastards basking in their wealth all their lives. People who have more money than the rest of us shouldn't be allowed to be given higher authority just because they possess such wealth. That only entices them to fatten their wallets even more. All in all, we would be much better off if these people had never even heard of money.

–––––––––––––––

"Cold hard cash. The language of the capitalist system," Sean thought out loud as soon as he finished reading the message, "So this guy hates people who have more money than he does. Why does that not surprise me?" Sean then moved on to the last message.

–––––––––––––––

**Subject:** RE: Cruel Society

**Sender:** Princess

Hello. Before I say anything else, I must tell you some background history about my country. You see, I am from Creamland. We were among one of the very first nations to have the net. You might even say we were pioneers of the system. Soon, other countries followed. We thought that we could finally keep in contact with people all over the world. However, something happened that we did not expect. The other countries began to develop too quickly. Soon, they surpassed Creamland and we were quickly forgotten. What we had striven so hard to achieve, the others took for granted. Not once have I found Creamland mentioned anywhere on the net. If you can help me put my country back on the map, I shall greatly appreciate it.

–––––––––––––––

"Andante, is that it?" Sean asked.

"That was it," the Navi replied.

"Four replies. At least we're getting somewhere." Sean got up and went to put his dishes in the dishwasher, "Andante, send messages to all the senders and make arrangements for me to meet up with them. I'll see them in the order they replied to my message. Give them all the passcode to my personal homepage."

"I'm on it," Andante replied. As he began working on the invitations, the mysterious Navi that had influenced Sean to leave home appeared on his laptop screen.

"I see things are going smoothly," he said.

"Grave!" Sean turned around and looked at his computer, "I didn't expect you to come in today."

"After hearing what you were just up to, I had to stop by," Grave replied, "So, you're planning to have an online meeting with these people."

"Yes."

"Then I suggest you take care of a few things."

"Like what?"

"For starters, your NetNavi," Grave answered, "He's just a standard model. When they see him, they're not going to take you seriously."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Sean asked.

"You're going to need a custom Navi. Maybe even two."

"And how do you suppose I go about doing that?"

"I have this." Grave opened up an inventory window and pulled out an icon. It displayed a white hexagon inside a black circle.

"You can customize your Navi with this," Grave continued. Sean looked at him for a moment and then over at Andante.

"Sean, do what you must," said Andante.

"But Andante," Sean walked over and picked up his PET off the table, "if I customize you, you won't be the same."

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, Sean. As long as you get what you need, I'm willing to make the sacrifice."

"Alright." Sean plugged his PET into its charger, which was hooked up to his main computer. He then hooked up his laptop to it and transferred the programs over. He selected the one icon and began to download the data. As soon as the download was complete, he uploaded Andante from his PET onto the computer.

"Do it," Andante whispered. Sean nodded. He took one final look at his Navi and then initiated the upgrade. Andante closed his eyes and bowed his head as lights started flashing around him. Pixel by pixel, his body began breaking up into bits of data. Sean watched as though he was deleting him. At last, the final traces of Andante vanished and the icon flashed. New data began forming around it. Sean could make out a humanoid frame, but it was still too blurry to make out the figure. A dark blue torso soon appeared with icy-blue legs ending with dark blue boots. Icicles began appearing on his shoulders, feet, and wrists. The head soon formed and two short icicles shot out from the sides.

"The upgrade is complete," said Grave, "Say hello to your new NetNavi."

o o o

At around noon the next day, a large red Navi resembling a magnet appeared inside Sean's homepage.

"This better not be a joke," he muttered, "I'm very busy so whoever called me here better show up."

"Don't worry. I was the one who called you here." A chilling wind seemed to blow through the area as the icy Navi walked in, leaving traces of frost on the floor with each step he took.

"Permit me to introduce myself," he said, "My name is FreezeMan. And I believe you are MagnetMan."

"That is correct," said MagnetMan.

"My operator wishes to discuss the matters that were mentioned in the message he posted," said FreezeMan.

"Hold on just a sec!" MagnetMan interjected, "How can you be trusted?"

"How do I know that I can trust you?" FreezeMan rebutted, "Who can we trust, after all? There is no sure way to know if someone is trustworthy or not."

_This is getting nowhere_, Sean thought as he buried his face in his hand, _Looks like I'm going to have to do something about it_. He picked up a headset with an attached microphone and put it on. Then he picked up a voice synthesizer that he had bought a few weeks ago and tinkered with it. After a few seconds, he attached it to his microphone.

_With this, they won't know that they're talking to a nine-year-old boy_, he thought before speaking.

"FreezeMan!" The two Navis stopped their little argument as soon as Sean's disguised voice boomed over the area.

"Sir?"

"Your operator, I presume?" MagnetMan asked.

"Yes," FreezeMan replied.

"FreezeMan, I'll take care of this," Sean said through his voice synthesizer.

"Of course." The icy Navi stepped back and allowed his operator to speak.

"MagnetMan, I can assure you that you can trust us just as we trust you and your operator."

"You're trusting me and my operator?" the magnetic Navi asked.

"Our goals are the same, are they not? What more do we need for a foundation?"

"Uh…"

"Please, allow us to make the first move. We will gain your trust by giving you ours."

"Sounds fine to me," MagnetMan replied, "Alright, then."

"We'll call on you again later for another meeting," informed FreezeMan. MagnetMan nodded with understanding and logged out.

_MAGNETMAN LOGGING OUT_

Sean removed his headset and sighed heavily.

"That was close," he mumbled to himself. He leaned back in his seat and stretched out his muscles. In doing so, he couldn't help but let out a big yawn.

_I should probably go to bed early tonight_, he thought to himself, _I've been sleeping late a lot recently_. As he laid there on the couch, his stomach began to rumble. Sean slowly hauled himself onto his feet and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he glanced inside and saw that it was almost bare save for a box of apple juice and a pudding cup. He sighed again and closed the door.

"FreezeMan, we're going grocery shopping." Sean disconnected his PET from his laptop and placed it in its case before putting on his shoes and left. Just as he did every week since he arrived at Kotobuki, the grey-haired boy walked over to the nearby Koto Mart and upon entry grabbed a basket and started moving up and down the aisles, stopping every now and then to get something down from the shelves. A few minutes into his shopping, Sean was struggling to get something down from a higher shelf but without any luck.

"Stupid out-of-reach box," he muttered.

"Would you like some help?" a store worker offered.

"Yes. Could you please get down a box of chicken-flavored ramen cups for me, please?" Sean asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo." The store worker reached up and grabbed a box with ease and brought it down, "Here you go."

"Thanks." Sean took the box and resumed his shopping. Finally, he got everything he needed and waited in the check-out line. When his turn finally came up, the cashier scanned all his purchases.

"That comes to a total of 10,000 zenny," she informed him, "How will you be paying?"

"NetCash." Sean pulled out the jack from his PET and plugged it into the register. He uploaded the necessary amount before jacking out.

"Have a nice day," the cashier said sweetly as Sean took his groceries and headed back to his apartment. The walk back took more time than the walk to the store since his arms were weighed down by his load. Though thanks to the short distance between the two locations, it wasn't that much of a difference. Upon his return, he noticed a man wearing a delivery uniform talking to the manager at the front desk.

"I have a package for a Kei Yuki," said the delivery man as he read the order on his clipboard.

"He sure seems to be getting a lot of packages these past months," the manager observed, "Unfortunately, he's out right n… Wait, there he is. He's just come in." The delivery man turned around and saw the young grey-haired boy walking into the apartment lobby with his groceries.

"Excuse me. Are you Kei Yuki?" he asked.

"That's right," Sean answered.

"I need you to sign for this package."

"Okay." Sean set his bags down on the floor and took the clipboard and pen from the delivery man. After signing along the dotted line on the bottom, he then grabbed his bags and asked the delivery man to bring up the package for him. The two of them rode up to the top floor and got out. Sean opened the door to his apartment and walked inside. After setting down his purchases on the kitchen counter, he returned to the door and took the package.

"Thanks for bringing this," he said to the delivery man.

"No problem. It was my pleasure." The courier tipped his cap and headed back downstairs as Sean closed the door and locked it. Finally back in his apartment, he put away his groceries before proceeding to open his package. A few days after he had finished moving in, Sean had devised the name Kei Yuki as a means of hiding his true identity. As he was in hiding, the last thing he wanted was for his relatives and former schoolmates to find him. As time went on, he pulled together enough information to create a fake background for himself to cover up his own past from others. So far, he had established "Kei Yuki" as an elite researcher from the Netopia Institute of Technology who had earned his Ph. D. at ten years of age. His reason for lying about his age as well was so that people would be willing to take him more seriously, even if the difference was only by one year.

Sean finally managed to remove the packaging and took out yet another piece of equipment he had ordered for his massive server.

"Good thing my parents' fortune has lasted long enough for me to afford all this." After installing the new equipment, he flopped down onto his bed and took a deep breath. As he laid there, he suddenly became aware of an unusual smell. Sean sat up and began sniffing around. He took a quick whiff of himself and immediately drew his head back wearing a look of disgust on his face.

_That's right_, he thought, _I've been so busy establishing my server that I haven't had time to have a decent shower. And I haven't changed my clothes for three days now._ Getting up off the bed, Sean walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and stripped off his clothes. After a long relaxing bath, he walked back to his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. As it turned out, they were the only clothes he had left that were still clean. The rest were piled up in a corner in his room.

"I better take these to the laundry room," he said to himself. Grabbing a laundry basket from the closet, Sean stuffed his clothes into it and took his PET, his laptop, and some spare change with him down to the apartment laundromat in the basement. Only a couple of people were present when he arrived. Making is way across the room, he stuffed his clothes into two washers based on lights and darks before loading in the detergent and inserting a few quarters into each. As soon as the machines started up, he sat down on a bench and opened up his laptop.

"FreezeMan, when's our next meeting?" he asked as he took out his PET from its case.

"We're scheduled to meet up with 'Speedy' and his Navi at four o'clock," the icy Navi reported. Sean took a look at the wall clock.

"It's one-thirty right now," he observed, "My laundry should be finished by three at the latest." True to his words, the dryers finished in the mentioned time and Sean gathered up his laundry and returned back up to his penthouse. After he finished folding and putting away his clothes, his clock read four o'clock. He stuffed the last of his socks into his drawer before walking over to his laptop sitting down in front of it.

"FreezeMan, it's time to meet our next recruit."

o o o

The red-armored Navi input the password and the security cube opened up and allowed him access. He flew in and landed inside the server and looked around. The dim light gleamed off the yellow blades on his arms as he walked around.

"Are you the Navi called QuickMan?" a cold voice asked.

"Yeah, that's me," the red-armored Navi answered. A chilling wind seemed to enter the area as FreezeMan entered and introduced himself.

"I am FreezeMan. It is a pleasure to meet with you, QuickMan."

"Likewise," QuickMan replied, "So, can your organization help my operator in his cause?"

"It is a noble cause, indeed," FreezeMan mused, "My operator and I can guarantee that we'll provide all the financial and material support you require."

"We don't care what you provide for us," said QuickMan, "Our only aim is to get the word out."

"Trust me, our methods will be most effective in that department," FreezeMan replied with a devilish grin.

The two Navis continued talking for several minutes while Sean watched on his laptop screen, keeping himself hidden the whole time. When QuickMan finally left, he jacked out FreezeMan and shut down his computer. A glance at the clock and a soft growl from his stomach alerted him that it was time for dinner. As he got up and made his way to the kitchen, he suddenly didn't feel like cooking.

_Maybe I'll just order take-out or something_, he thought as he walked over to his phone and looked through the countless take-out menus that lay strewn across the table next to it. It didn't take him long to decide on what to eat and dialed the number. He placed his order and hung up before walking over to his kitchen and sitting down at the counter as he waited for his dinner. About forty-five minutes later, his food came by and he paid the delivery boy before taking it into his apartment and sitting back down at the counter.

"Nothing beats Chinese take-away," he said contently as he took the containers out and opened them. After half an hour, he threw the empty containers into the garbage and walked to the bathroom. After he had finished brushing his teeth, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. FreezeMan watched from his PET as Sean grabbed a book off his dresser and started reading it.

"FreezeMan, what are the plans for tomorrow?" the grey-haired boy asked without looking up from his book.

"I've scheduled a meeting with the Navi of this Arashi person at ten-thirty tomorrow," the icy Navi answered, "In the afternoon, we'll be meeting with 'Princess' and her Navi at exactly three o'clock."

"Thank you, FreezeMan. Go into sleep mode until tomorrow morning."

"Of course, Master Sean." The PET screen went blank as FreezeMan followed his operator's orders and went into sleep mode. Sean let out a yawn and he set his book on his bedside table. He fluffed up his pillow and rested his head against it as he laid down. He turned off his lamp and pulled the covers up to his neck.

_Another day gone by_, he thought as he closed his crimson eyes and drifted off to sleep.

o o o

At nine o'clock the next morning, FreezeMan came out of sleep mode and switched on the PET alarm. Sean moaned as he turned over and slowly propped himself up on his elbows. His hair hung like a mop as he yawned. He quickly threw off the covers and sat on the edge of his bed. Hauling himself to the bathroom, Sean went about his morning routine and had a quick breakfast before he changed into his day clothes.

"FreezeMan, did you give Arashi's Navi the passcode?" he asked as he zipped up his hoodie.

"Yes, Master Sean," the icy Navi replied.

"Good. I'm going downstairs to check my mail, so if anyone calls, just put them on hold." Sean grabbed his key off the table and exited his apartment. As soon as he arrived downstairs, he saw another delivery man standing at the front desk talking to the manager.

"Yes, I'm looking for Kei Yuki."

"He's just come down the elevator," the manager answered. Sean walked up to the delivery man.

"I assume you have a package for me," he said without much emotion in his voice. For the past few months, he had been using that exact same line at least thrice every day as his orders came in. The delivery man looked down at the crimson-eyed boy.

"I was expecting somebody older." Sean frowned and held out his hands. The delivery man handed him a clipboard and a pen and the grey-haired child quickly read through the form and signed his name. He handed them back and took the box back up to his apartment. He set it down on the floor and opened it before taking out the computer server that was inside and carrying it into the next room. It took about ten minutes for him to finish setting it up and hooking it up to the rest of his network.

"Master Sean," FreezeMan called out to his operator, "at this rate, we're going to run out of room."

"Yeah, I've noticed. I'll have to talk to the manager and see if I can rent out any of the other empty apartments. Anyway, how long have we got until our next meeting?"

"AirMan should be coming by shortly," the icy-Navi reported.

"AirMan," Sean repeated thoughtfully, "So you found out who Arashi is, then?"

"I did a search last night and found some information. It's mostly just what he said in the message he posted. The only new information I found was the name of his Navi."

"Well, we shouldn't keep him waiting." Sean walked around his desk and sat down in his chair, "Let's go, FreezeMan."

o o o

FreezeMan tapped his foot against the floor of Sean's homepage as he waited patiently. Ten minutes had passed since the appointed time and still no sign of AirMan. He opened up a clock window and checked the time.

"He's late," he mumbled as he closed the window. Another fifteen minutes later, a blue Navi with a large fan in the center of his chest arrived.

"Are you FreezeMan?" he asked.

"Correct. And you are AirMan."

"That's right."

"You're late."

"I'm two minutes early," AirMan argued.

"Your clock is slow. You're actually twenty-three minutes late."

"How is that possible? I checked it last night and it was working fine."

_That would explain a bit_, FreezeMan thought.

"Anyway, I asked you to meet with me was because of your message."

"Yes, I was expecting this when my operator had me reply to your post."

"Tell me, what do you and your operator hope to gain by joining our organization?"

"My operator wants revenge on everyone with more money than him," AirMan explained, "Quite a few names come to mind, actually. Gabcom, IPC, GasTech…"

"Fine, no need to list them all," FreezeMan interrupted.

"And you say you can help us?" asked AirMan.

"We can guarantee that you will accomplish your goal. However, we also have a strict policy against failure. If you fail your assignment, you and your operator will be terminated. No second chances." AirMan seemed to gulp, but he showed no other signs of uncertainty or discomfort.

"I understand."

The meeting dragged on for another hour as AirMan got as much information as he could while FreezeMan continued to ensure that the fan-armed Navi and his operator would dedicate themselves to the organization. Finally, when there was no more business to take care of, AirMan logged out and a window displaying Sean's face appeared behind FreezeMan.

"Well executed, FreezeMan," Sean complimented.

"Tank you, Master Sean."

"When's next our appointment?"

"Princess' post stated that she lives in Creamland," FreezeMan answered, "Due to the time difference, I've had to make an appointment for tomorrow night."

"That's good enough, FreezeMan. Jack out." Sean's window closed and FreezeMan logged out and returned to his PET.

Back in the real world, Sean leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Three down, one to go," he muttered, "Once this last one is over, I should probably have a meeting with all four of them so they can get to know each other." With no more appointments for the rest of the day, Sean wheeled himself over to a table on the side. Several tools and parts lay strewn across the surface. He picked up a device similar to a wristwatch in appearance and resumed working on it.

The next day came and as usual, Sean received more packages. After he had finished signing for all his orders, he turned to the manager behind the desk.

"Excuse me."

"How can I help you, Kei?" the manager asked.

"My apartment is running out of room due to all the servers I keep ordering. Are there any vacancies? Preferably near the penthouse?" The manager thought for a moment and turned to his computer.

"Let me check." About five minutes later, he turned back to the grey-haired teen.

"We do have an empty apartment one floor below yours," he said, "The occupants moved away last week."

"I'd like to rent it out as storage space." Sean took his PET out from its case and jacked into the computer. A few seconds later, the cost of the apartment had been transferred over and he plugged out before taking his new key and heading up the elevator with his parcels.

"Master Sean, you've been working hard for these past few days," FreezeMan said to his operator, "Perhaps you should take a break. After all, our appointment isn't until tonight."

"I kind of like that suggestion, FreezeMan," Sean replied as he opened the door into the empty apartment and pushed his things inside. After he had set them up, he went back downstairs and stepped outside. He immediately brought up his hand to shield his eyes against the sunlight.

"This is what I get for staying inside an apartment with closed blinds all day for several days," he mumbled as he let his eyes adjust to the brightness.

Sean walked around town for a while until he reached Kotobuki Park, where he made his way over to the playground and sat down on one of the swings. The place was completely devoid of all people except for a few people out either for their morning exercise or walking their dogs.

_This is like the park my parents used to take me to_, he thought as he scanned his surroundings. A tear rolled down his cheek at the thought of his parents. His light grey hair waved in the breeze has he lamented his past. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black wallet and took out a photo. It showed him and his parents just before they left on their trip and died in the plane crash. The words of the Official still echoed through his head and the tragic news still continued to haunt him. He tried his best to think of something else, but that only caused him to think about it more. And the more he thought about it, the more it pained him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He got off the swing and crawled under a piece of playground equipment where he curled himself into a fetal position and started crying, his hand still clutching the photo.

o o o

It was late when Sean finally returned to the apartment building. The manager was just getting ready to close the main office when he entered through the front door. Noticing the redness in the boy's face and eyes, he could tell that he had been crying.

"Are you okay, Kei?" he asked from the other side of the desk.

"I'm fine," Sean replied as he wiped his eyes off with his sleeve and sniffled.

"Why don't you come inside?" the manager offered. Sean was in no mood to argue so he just went along. When they reached the inner office, he was offered a seat and he sat down in silence.

"Here, have some tea." The manager placed a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Sean.

"Thank you." Sean took the cup and held it in his hands, allowing the heat to warm them up.

"You always seem down, Kei," the manager brought up as he went about performing various tasks around the room, "I'm worried about you."

"It's nothing," the crimson-eyed boy assured him, "I'm fine." He took a sip of tea as the manager took a seat across from him.

"I only want to know what's wrong so I can help you."

"I appreciate your concern, but it's not necessary." The manager sighed and laid back in his chair. A sudden prick in his backside caused him to jolt a bit and he reached back to scratch it. Sean took notice of this action. Now it was his turn to worry.

"Are you okay?" he inquired.

"I'm okay," the manager answered, "Just one of those feelings you get when it's too hot."

"You mean like a sharp prick?"

"Yeah, like that." Sean looked down at his tea and went deep into thought. Over the past few days, he had noticed an increase in the level of radiation in the area based on the readings he had received on a Geiger counter he had purchased two weeks ago.

_I should probably tell him about the radiation_, he thought, _But I don't want to cause a panic. But if I withhold that information, people will get hurt._ When that last statement passed through his mind, Sean quickly tried to shake it out of his head.

_Who am I kidding? Society was what hurt me in the first place!_ he scolded himself mentally, _What should I care what happens to them?_ He finished his tea and placed the empty cup back on the table.

"Thanks for the tea." Sean got up and bowed to the manager before leaving the office and heading up the elevator back to his penthouse apartment. After a quick shower, he changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed.

"FreezeMan, what have we got scheduled for tomorrow?" he asked.

"More deliveries are expected to arrive tomorrow," FreezeMan answered from his PET, which was sitting on its charger, "We also have a meeting with Princess' Navi tomorrow at nine at night."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, FreezeMan. Turn yourself off for the night."

"Yes, Master Sean." The PET screen went dark and Sean shut off his light and laid down in bed. He closed his deep red eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

o o o

Just as FreezeMan had stated, more deliveries came in for Sean the following day. The deliverymen were coming in all day and the boy led them upstairs to his newly-rented apartment, where the servers were deposited. By the time the last one had left, the entire room was filled. After a quick lunch, Sean spent the whole afternoon setting up the servers and hooking them up to one another. He checked all the connections and such repeatedly. His network had to be perfect. He couldn't afford any flaws. By the time he had completed his work, it was nearly time for dinner. He went back up to his own apartment and made himself a bowl of ramen, which he quickly finished off within a few minutes. After that, all that was left to do was wait. FreezeMan had already gone ahead onto the net, so Sean was left on his own. Picking up the Geiger counter he kept stored beneath his desk, he switched it on and waved the sensor around. The ticking was much faster now than it was yesterday.

_I have to finish that radiation suit quickly_, he thought.

o o o

A few hours passed and eventually the meeting time arrived. FreezeMan stood inside the server and waited. He looked ahead and saw a large Navi wearing thick heavy armor approaching him. His structure was extremely sturdy and his only weapon appeared to be a giant mace attached to his right arm.

"Are you he who requested my presence?" he asked of FreezeMan.

"Correct."

"My name is KnightMan."

"FreezeMan. Now to business. I've studied up on Creamland's history. Being left behind in the dust of progress must be frustrating."

"My operator certainly thinks so," KnightMan replied, "Our country has fallen behind so much since everyone's forgotten about it. Without trade and commerce with other nations, we've come upon hard times. The people are living in poverty and my operator cannot bear to watch them suffer any longer."

"Your operator wouldn't happen to be the princess of Creamland, would she?" asked FreezeMan. KnightMan was taken aback.

"How did you…?" he began.

"The way you described your operator's concern for the people gave it away."

"Oh."

"Do not worry, KnightMan. When you join our organization, we shall provide all the necessary funding to Creamland," FreezeMan assured.

"The princess will be most grateful. You have our sworn allegiance." KnightMan bowed deeply and stood back up. The two Navis delved further into the topic for a while longer until KnightMan mentioned he had to leave and logged out.

"That was good, FreezeMan," Sean commended, "That's all four of them. Now we just have to find a time to get them all together so they can get to know one another."

"By the way, Master Sean, we've managed to recruit an independent Navi to help us, as well," FreezeMan notified his operator.

"Excellent, FreezeMan. I've also found a mercenary we can hire." Sean flipped through his windows and brought up the information he had gathered, "He's a highly-skilled assassin. I think he'll be a great asset to our future needs."

"Very good, Master Sean." FreezeMan logged out from Sean's homepage and returned to his PET. For the rest of the evening, he watched as his operator searched around for any information on the operators of the four Navis that they had met with in the past couple of days. A lot of surface information he was able to find without much difficulty. For more personal information, he had to hack into several systems while FreezeMan exploded the depths of the Undernet.

"Looks like I've made some formidable allies," he smirked as he sat back after completing his search and revised all the information he had gathered.

"What have we got, Master Sean?" asked FreezeMan.

"Quite a variety of people. Gauss Magnets, the CEO of Gauss Inc. His company is one of the most powerful corporations in the world. With him to provide our funding, we'll have all the resources we want in our hands.

"'Speedy' Dave Hayami, an environmental activist. His protests have constantly been ignored by the large companies who care about making a profit at the expense off the environment. He thinks that they'll never listen to him, so he wants to stop their development by wiping out civilization so nature can takes its course without inhibition. We could use that kind of pep.

"Arashi Kazefuki, the former CEO of a company that was later bought out by a larger corporation and left him jobless. His hatred for people with more money than him has continuously grown since then. Well, his reasons are pretty petty but at least he's motivated.

"Princess Pride of Creamland. KnightMan explained the situation that was happening in her country. She really cares for her people and she's willing to do absolutely anything to help them.

"Mr. Dark, mercenary for hire. No other information has been given."

"Most excellent recruits, Master Sean," FreezeMan commented, "However, they may not take you seriously since you are just a child. And you _will_ have to meet with them in person sometime."

"I'm working on that, FreezeMan." Sean turned away from his desk and rolled his chair over to a small worktable in the corner. He switched on the attached lamp and resumed working on the device that was sitting on top of the table.

"With a big of tweaking, I should be able to generate a hologram that also doubles as a radiation suit." Recruiting people to help him was only the first step, but Sean still had a lot of work ahead of him and he knew that well.

"In the end, this will all be worth the effort," he whispered to himself.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Had several cases of writer's block, but I finally finished this chapter. The tragic story of Sean Obihiro is not yet over.


	4. Gospel

**Disclaimer:** All official MegaMan characters are property of Capcom.

* * *

**MY LONELINESS**

**Gospel**

The orders were always given through emails and transmissions. If anything was discussed face-to-face, the followers would always find themselves speaking through sound-only lines. Nobody had actually met the leader of Gospel in person and the mystery surrounding the anonymous one continued to shroud them completely from the rest of the world.

"This company started as nothing more than a small family business and over the years it has grown into what you now see before you."

"I've never even heard of them," a blond man in a blue suit wearing a pin with a green tornado on his lapel replied, "Can't we move onto some place that'll have a bigger impact on the world?"

"Revenge must be savored, not rushed, Mr. Kazefuki. Take it slowly and someday you may even be able to wipe out Microsoft."

"That'll be the day," the one known as Arashi Kazefuki thought out loud before turning his attention to the immediate task at hand, "Alright, then. AirMan, are you ready?"

"I've been waiting for this moment!" a duck-like voice squawked from the PET in the man's hands. Arashi pulled the jack out from the side and plugged it into the port in the wall. In a few short seconds, a blue NetNavi with a fan in the center of his chest appeared inside the building's systems. His sudden appearance drew the attention of a few programs working nearby, but he quickly dealt with them with a few bursts of air from his fan.

"You're no match for the mighty AirMan!" he bellowed before he proceeded to laughing, which sounded more like a series of quacks.

"AirMan, better hurry before anybody notices anything wrong," instructed Arashi.

"Quack!" AirMan made his way through the system, opening maps that their leader had provided them to find his way, until he finally arrived at his destination.

"The central ventilation system." A small smile appeared on Arashi's face, "AirMan, shut all the vents leading outside."

"Quack!" AirMan's fan began spinning and several puffs of air shot out and hit the main program. Immediately, the vents leading outdoors were sealed one by one and it was not long before all of them had been closed.

"Now let's move onto phase two. This map shows us that a gas pipeline runs right under this building. There's a computer in it that maintains the flow of gas and prevents leaks. AirMan, I want you to take care of it," ordered Arashi.

"With pleasure, Arashi." AirMan made his way through the system undetected. It took him a few minutes before he finally arrived at his destination. "Let's bust this thing up, Arashi!"

"My thoughts exactly, AirMan." Arashi took a Battlechip from his pocket and slotted it into his PET. "Tornado Battlechip in, download!" AirMan's fan began to turn and before long a powerful cyclone had been generated from his body which he then forced into the maintenance program. The device sparked wildly as the winds tore at its code, ripping apart vital information. Red warning lights began to flash as sirens sounded inside the building. Arashi looked up from his spot at an exterior maintenance panel and nodded.

"Jack out, AirMan." He unplugged his PET and AirMan's body morphed into the word "LOGOUT" as he returned to his operator.

"Well done, Arashi," a voice congratulated over the PET.

ooo

Protesters stood in front of a forest with signs as they faced a bulldozing crew, which was getting very irritated with them. In front of the protesters was a man wearing a red hoodie, glasses, and a baseball cap bearing a symbol resembling a boomerang.

"Stand together, everyone!" he shouted through a bullhorn, "We will not allow any harm to come to this forest!"

"Get outta da way, youse punk kids!" the bulldozer crew's foreman shouted.

"We shall not move!" the young man leading the protesters called out.

"Dis is gonna be da site for da new Super Mega Ultra Mall," the foreman said, "Thousands a' people been lookin' forward to dis place. Youse can protest all youse want, but that ain't gonna stop us from levelin' dis forest."

"That's why I came prepared," announced the young man. The foreman laughed.

"What youse gonna do about it?" he asked.

"You want to know?" The young man took out a PET. "QuickMan, do it." Silence fell upon the area as everybody waited to see what would happen. A few minutes passed and still nothing.

"Ha ha ha! Dat's real cute, kid," the foreman laughed, "Now get youse selves outta heres. A'right guys, get ready!" The bulldozers revved up and were ready to advance. However, before anyone could do anything one of the machines exploded, killing the man in the cab. "What da?"

"I told you I came prepared," the young man warned.

"Dave, isn't that going a bit too far?" one of the other protesters asked, but the one whom he called Dave turned his head and cast a death glare in his direction.

"Nobody's going to listen to petitions and signs or the words of protestors. If we want to be heard, we want to take action!" Dave brought his PET up. "QuickMan, destroy another one." No sooner had he spoken those words, another bulldozer exploded. "Those were your only warnings. If you don't leave now, I'll blow up all of your machines AND the company who hired you."

"Youse don't have da guts!" the foreman yelled.

"Try me." Dave pressed a button on his PET and another bulldozer exploded. "This is for the preservation of our precious environment."

"Youse got a lot ta learn 'bout da real world, kid. No one don't care 'bout no environment no more," the foreman told the environmental activist. He then got into one of the bulldozers and started advancing. He didn't care who was standing in his way. He was determined to plow the forest down at any cost. However, Dave had other plans. He turned to his PET and spoke.

"QuickMan, do it." In the cab of the bulldozer, the foreman was ready his machine to plow past the protesters when the system suddenly died.

"What's going on?" he asked as he tried to restart the machine, but nothing he did worked. Suddenly, the computer screen on his dashboard came to life, revealing a black-suited, red-armored NetNavi with two large blades on his arms and a boomerang on his helmet.

"You're not moving an inch further."

"QuickMan, hurry up," said Dave.

"Hurry? Ha. Who needs to hurry when they're this fast?" QuickMan slashed a device on the other side of the computer system within two seconds before escaping in the blink of an eye as the bulldozer exploded.

"Don't mess with nature," was all Dave said as he watched the foreman's machine erupt in a blaze of fire. A shard from the bomb he planted landed by the hand of what had once been the foreman, bearing an insignia that resembled a spiky capital G shaped like a dog's head.

ooo

"They do some real good work," CutMan commented as he stood next to FreezeMan watching the events unfold on the window before their eyes.

"I must say I _am_ impressed with what Arashi and Dave have done," FreezeMan agreed.

"CutMan. FreezeMan." A new window opened up, displaying a chalk-white partially-hidden face with the left side covered by long green hair.

"Sir!" FreezeMan immediately knelt down and CutMan quickly followed.

"I have an assignment for CutMan." The scissor-headed NetNavi looked up at the window.

"What is it that you want me to do?" he asked.

"This will have all the details." A beam of light shot down and deposited a Blue Mystery Data into CutMan's hands. He took one look at it and saluted before logging out.

"Did you also have a task for me, sir?" asked FreezeMan.

"Yes, FreezeMan. I've hiring an assassin for our organization and I require you to meet with him to discuss the long-term contract."

"Are they good, sir?"

"Would I have even considered them if they weren't?"

ooo

CutMan looked at his orders once again when he arrived at his destination. When he read them the first time, he wasn't sure if the job he had been given would be appealing even though it was perfect for his skills. However, upon arriving at his target's location he realized that it might actually be fun. There were a few guards to contend with, but security was light enough to get through. CutMan quickly made his way in without being detected. He wanted to start cutting things down right away, but his orders had told him not to do so. He grumbled as he remembered this and focused more on being able to destroy everything later. After spending several minute sneaking around corners and hiding behind walls, he eventually made it to the objective of his mission. Large sheets of data lay stacked in massive piles, which caused CutMan to snip his head scissors happily. He quickly regained his composure and remembered his order. He checked the contents of each stack and searched for one particular group. Ten minutes passed before he finally found what he was looking for and he pulled the data sheets out.

"Scissors cuts paper." He closed his head scissors and snipped the sheets in two. He laughed as he continued to cut them into increasingly smaller pieces and enjoyed every moment of it.

"I saw something here," a voice could be heard saying, causing CutMan to freeze.

"I'll check it out," a big burly voice replied.

"Be careful, GraniteMan." As the thundering footsteps of a large and heavy Navi approached, CutMan began to panic. He quickly sought a hiding place behind a stack of data sheets and crouched behind it. He could see a large shadow slowly appear on the wall and he began to get scared. There was no way he would be able to fight an opponent like that and win. He needed to escape, however there was only one route both in and out and the only cover he had was the data sheets.

That's when it hit him. Cover! CutMan waited in his hiding spot for GraniteMan to get closer. As soon as he was within range, he pushed the largest stack of data sheets and they all fell on top of the large Navi. Once he was sure he was down, CutMan came out of hiding. He glanced at the massive form covered by the stack of data sheets he had pushed and quickly ran out.

"Mission accomplished, boss," he reported as soon as he was in a safe location.

"Well done, CutMan. Return as quickly as you can."

"Yes, sir." CutMan ended his transmission and logged out, having completed his mission and destroyed vital bank information for a certain uncle and aunt.

ooo

Back inside the computers of the organization's headquarters, FreezeMan was meeting with a purple ninja wearing a long red scarf for the first time.

"And so those are the conditions," the frigid NetNavi concluded.

"Your conditions appear reasonable," the ninja said, "I shall now consult my operator." He turned and opened a private window. FreezeMan waited patiently for several minutes, not once moving a frozen muscle. When the other NetNavi was finished, he turned to him.

"Your conditions are accepted."

"Excellent. We look forward to having your abilities serve our purposes." FreezeMan cracked a rare smile. "Now then, perhaps you can finally tell us your names."

"You can simply refer to my operator as Dark. As for me, you can call me ShadowMan."

"ShadowMan… Well then, let's see if you are as stealthy as your name suggests." FreezeMan handed over a Purple Mystery Data. "Your first assignment is in here." ShadowMan accepted the item and nodded. With the data in one hand, he held up to fingers in front of himself and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

ooo

Elsewhere in the world, government leaders were meeting to talk about what they should do in case of a receding economy. It was a teleconference involving leaders from various countries around the world. The debate had gone on for hours and with no visible end in sight. This, however, provided an excellent distraction. From a hotel not far away, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair wearing a white dress looked down at the government building from her suite window. Two bodyguards stood by the door at full attention.

"Could you leave me for a moment?" she requested.

"Of course, Princess Pride." The two suited women exited through the door and shut it behind them, but they continued to remain outside. Now that she was alone, the woman whom the bodyguards had addressed as Princess Pride sat down at her desk and took out her PET.

"KnightMan, let's get this done quickly before anyone suspects." She plugged in the blue device and sent her NetNavi through the internet into the government building. Security was heavy, however that would prove not to be a challenge as an enormous heavily armored NetNavi armed with a giant mace in place of his right hand appeared. As he approached a protective firewall, many guards stationed in front of it immediately turned his way.

"Sorry sir, this is currently a restricted area," one of them called out.

"But I am here on official business," KnightMan insisted, "I have some information that is vital to the information."

"I suppose we _could_ let him in for a little bit," one of the security guards proposed.

"I guess." The one that had been talking to KnightMan turned back to the large Navi and held out his hand, "May I please see some identification?"

"Certainly. I hid it in my arm in case I ran into any trouble." KnightMan deployed his mace and let it drop to the floor with a thunderous crash. He placed his hand into the hole where it had been and began to rummage around. His eyes flashed menacingly for a moment before he unexpectedly swung his arm and sent his mace into the guards. He reeled his weapon back in and advanced.

"STOP!" More security Navis rushed to stop him, but KnightMan simply plowed right through them. A team of five approached from his right and he deployed his mace into flail mode.

"Royal Wrecking Ball!" he swung his weapon and the enormous spiked ball attached to his arm via a chain slammed into the Navis with such terrifying force that they were deleted upon contact. When the last of them had been killed off, KnightMan swung his flail at the firewall. The first impact left a crack in the near-impenetrable structure. Reeling his mace back in, he walked up to the damage he had made and began punching it with both arms. It finally gave out a couple of minutes later and he stepped through. Up ahead, KnightMan could see the program he was looking for: the translator. With so many government officials from different countries involved, one was needed to allow for easier communication. KnightMan walked up to it, making sure to keep a look out for any other security guards. To his surprise, there were not any more. He personally made a thought about the people organizing this meeting being stupid for posting guards outside the firewall but placing none behind it.

KnightMan stopped just two feet away from the program and looked down on it. It bore a resemblance to a large anvil. He smiled beneath his mask as he raised his mace. Then with a loud cry, he slammed the heavy spiked ball on top of the program. He smashed right through it with little effort and the translator system was quickly affected. People's listening devices failed and words were scrambled beyond comprehension.

"My work here is done." KnightMan logged out and returned to his operator's PET.

"That was a very good job, KnightMan," said Princess Pride.

"Anything for you, milady."

Back in the government building, panic had gripped all the people inside as the doors locked and a big red capital G shaped like a spiky dog appeared on the computer monitors.

ooo

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, one of the largest investment banks in the world was experiencing problems. People were randomly losing or gaining money. Deep inside the system, a large red NetNavi resembling a magnet was holding out his hands and using his abilities to shift all the data in the bank's computer systems around.

"MagnetMan, are you finished yet?" a man's voice came in through the PET-to-Navi communication line.

"Almost done, Mr. Gauss." MagnetMan stood in that position for several more minutes before finally lowering his arms. "All done."

"Excellent. We now have another target to take care of so log out."

"Right away." MagnetMan logged out of the bank's computer system and returned to his PET, which was in the hands of an elderly man wearing a business suit that had literally been split into two separate colors right down the middle; the right half of his suit was red and the left half was black.

"So what is our next objective?" asked MagnetMan.

"We're going to a place where we'll find anything that can only exist in a truly decadent society." Gauss placed his PET into case under his blazer and headed downstairs. A limousine was waiting for him outside and he got in. The chauffeur closed the door after him and quickly ran over to the driver's seat. Once settled in, he drove away from the large skyscraper with an enormous sign out front that said "Gauss Inc.".

An hour's drive passed before the vehicle stopped at the Electopia International Airport. Gauss got out and made his way inside with his suitcase. He stopped at the airline desk to check in and once it was confirmed, he made his way through security to his gate. It didn't take long before boarding began and Gauss was quickly seated comfortably in the first class cabin.

"How long will this flight be?" MagnetMan questioned.

"Fifteen hours," answered Gauss, "Now I must turn you off for takeoff." He turned off his PET and let it rest on the table beside his seat as a flight attendant came around with a wine list. Afterwards, he settled down comfortably. He was in for an extremely long flight.

ooo

Nearly two thirds of an entire day had passed when the plane finally landed at Heaven's City airport. Gauss disembarked with the other passengers and reclaimed his luggage before making his way through customs. When he was eventually done, he exited into the arrivals lobby and stepped outside where another limousine was waiting for him. He got in the backseat and rode for another two hours to his company's Netopian branch headquarters.

"Ahhh, finally I can relax a little." Gauss stepped into his office on the top floor and placed his PET on his desk. After seventeen hours of remaining seated, he wasn't too eager to sit down at his desk. He walked over to a mini-bar in the corner and poured himself a glass of wine. A beep from his computer indicated he had a call coming. He walked over to his desk and answered it. Immediately, his screen became occupied by a spiky red capital G shaped like a dog.

"Mr. Gauss."

"Ah, sir. I was just about to contact you."

"You've arrived in Netopia?"

"Yes, I have. I just came into my office."

"Good. I expect favorable results from your mission." And with that, the transmission ended. Gauss took out his PET and plugged it into his desk.

"MagnetMan, let's get this started."

"Right away, Mr. Gauss." MagnetMan entered his operator's computer system and swiftly exited out onto the internet. As he made his way through the web, Gauss reviewed his mission details. His task was to infiltrate a highly-advanced research facility which housed a special program. MagnetMan was to steal that program. Gauss had always wondered why the leader of the organization required such things, but he never questioned him. In fact, nobody ever questioned the leader. As long as they were able to take their revenge against others, they didn't care.

Meanwhile, MagnetMan finally arrived at his destination. The research facility's computer systems were heavily guarded. Guards and turrets surrounded the incredible firewall that blocked off the entrance. These wouldn't be a problem. "Magnet Missile!" Two giant U-shaped magnets appeared and the large Navi launched each one at a turret. The magnetically-guided projectiles hit their targets and destroyed them, alerting the guards. They did exactly as MagnetMan had predicted and began running toward him. He placed his hand on the floor and formed a line of Magnet Panels straight down the middle. The security team was quickly pulled toward it and stuck in place. With the MagLine holding everybody down, there was only one thing left to do. MagnetMan summoned a blue copy of himself behind all the Navis and the two of them readied themselves.

"North-South Tackle!" The two MagnetMen were drawn together by the other's magnetic pull and their collision with one another deleted all the Navis that had been caught between them.

"Are you done with them, MagnetMan?" asked Gauss.

"Yes," was the answer as the blue MagnetMan disappeared. The original MagnetMan proceeded forward and slammed his enormous fists into the firewall. When that failed to dent it, he began tackling it. After ten tries, he finally broke through and continued to make his way further into the system. "Mr. Gauss, any idea where that program is?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to find," Gauss answered. Sure enough, he was right. A blue fist-sized cube was the only object protected by several automated gun turrets. When MagnetMan arrived, they all turned on him and fired.

"Is that it?" he laughed, "That's pathetic!" He surrounded himself with a barrier generated with his own power and the bullets ricocheted off its surface. He grinned as he slowly pushed against the barrage of tiny lead projectiles. The cube was just within his reach. However, in order to grab it he was required to drop his shield. Privately, he admitted to himself that KnightMan probably would have been a better choice for this mission but he was already in the middle of doing it so he decided he may as well finish it.

MagnetMan finally reached the nearest turret and swiftly slammed himself into it, causing the tower to topple. He turned to the other turrets and brief dropped his shield long enough to form two black balls of energy. "Mag Ball!" After tossing one in either direction, he quickly reapplied his shield and watched as the two orbs collided with their intended targets and destroyed them. MagnetMan nodded and deactivated his barrier. He picked up the program from its stand and looked at it.

"Such a tiny little thing. But if it's what the boss needs, it's what the boss gets." MagnetMan put the program away and logged out.

ooo

The task seemed easy enough ShadowMan thought as he stealthily leapt across rooftops. His first job under the new contract was a simple assassination. According the information he had received, his target was someone who had quit the organization not long ago. It seemed that he did not like how it focused on satisfying the lust for revenge of its members through any means necessary, even death. As such, he left and was last reported heading for the Official Center to give them information. Fair enough. It was just to silence a squealer. The traitor and his Navi had gone off separately to ensure that at least one of them would make it. No doubt they had taken into account that the organization would want their heads. What they hadn't counted on, was the identity of their pursuers. While ShadowMan tracked down the Navi, his operator, Dark, was on the trail of the operator.

"ShadowMan, report on your status," a scrambled voice came through on the ninja's personal PET communicator.

"I am closing in on the target," ShadowMan reported. He could already see the Navi he was after trying to run away. Against any other tracker, he might have been able to get away. ShadowMan was not just any other tracker. "Shall I dispatch of him quietly?"

"As quietly as possible."

"It shall be done." ShadowMan picked up the pace and closed in on his target. Before long, he was running right beside him along the rooftops. He looked at his surroundings and began to assess the situation to determine the best way to take out his target. He needed to do so in a way that would not only allow him to kill the Navi without alerting him, but also without alerting the others in the area. His cloning technique was definitely out of the question and his fire technique would serve no purpose. He considered shuriken for a good length of time, but in the end his decision was made when he brought up his arm and rested his hand against the hilt of his sword.

The Navi stopped for a moment to look around. No one seemed to be following him. After a few seconds had passed, he turned and ducked into an alley from which he later emerged into a busier street.

_He thinks someone is after him, and so he has entered a busier location in hope that I will not attempt to kill him with so many others present_, thought ShadowMan as he continued to observe his target. He continued to tail the Navi regardless. As the situation currently stood, his target was too close to the other Navis for an efficient strike. If he could just get even the smallest opening, it would be enough. ShadowMan continued to wait. Eventually, the target NetNavi arrived in an open plaza where the crowd was more thinned out over a larger area. So far, narrow streets had been this one's ally. This sudden change left more wide-open space which ShadowMan immediately acted upon. He vanished from the rooftop and reappeared on the other side of the plaza crouching with his sword in one hand. Behind him, his target seemed to have frozen in place before his torso and his hip separated and both pieces were erased. ShadowMan closed his eyes and stood up.

"ShadowMan to Dark. Target eliminated."

"Excellent work, ShadowMan. My target is dead now too. Log out immediately."

"At once." ShadowMan re-sheathed his sword and placed his hands together as he logged out and returned to his operator's PET.

ooo

Inside a single room, a computer monitor was blinking. A figure walked over to it and answered the incoming call. Immediately, the icy face of FreezeMan appeared. "Master Shuryou, did you send for me?"

"Yes I did, FreezeMan." From the shadows of the dark room, the figure moved closer to the illumination of the screen. His face was chalk-white with long green hair that went down to his knees with a single lock covering half of his face, which had no features, not even a mouth, save for a single black eye with a glowing red pupil. The rest of his hair ended off with countless crooked purple ends which branched off into random directions. He wore only a long black coat with red patterns on the sleeves and crimson triangles on the coattails. A spiky dog-shaped capital G was emblazoned across the center of his chest.

"Report on everything, FreezeMan."

"Right away, Master Shuryou." FreezeMan brought up a window and expanded it behind him so he could explain the display while it played since his only other option was using low-budget Zero Punctuation-esque puppets. "Well the traitor who left us has been swiftly dealt with. We are most fortunate to have Dark and ShadowMan. The progress of all our other members is doing very well. The more they do, the more they seem loyal to Gospel."

"They're being given the chance to take revenge on that which they hate the most. Anyone given the opportunity to experience that will follow those who provide it."

"In addition, MagnetMan has successfully retrieved the program you wanted."

"Excellent. My master plan will soon be complete. Just a few more pieces and it shall be complete. But enough on that for now. FreezeMan, are you ready for that special mission?" The frozen Navi nodded.

"My loyalty is to you and you alone, Master Shuryou. I will go where you wish me to." Shuryou Gospel was silent for a moment before transferring FreezeMan into a PET. He unplugged the portable device and left the room. He descended an elevator and stepped outside.

The streets of Kotobuki were empty. The buildings were too. In fact, nearly the entire town had been evacuated. The radiation emitting from the apartment complex was intense as the Gospel servers tirelessly worked night and day. Even the sky itself seemed to have dimmed over the small town. What had once been trees now lay as decrepit pieces of wood. Shuryou Gospel was the only one who seemed to be unaffected by the radiation as he made his way to the subway station. The KotoLine had been shut down for a few months, but he still had the means to make it work. After boarding the lone train he kept there as his means of transportation, he jacked FreezeMan into the system and let the frigid Navi drive the subway train away.

Shuryou sat looking at the Geiger gauge on his wrist watching as that radiation level dropped. As soon as the needle reached the green area he had added in, he pressed a small button on the side. The white-faced leader of Gospel faded away, leaving no one on the train but the young Sean Obihiro. The boy ran his hands through his fine grey hair as he got up and slowly made his way around the train, trying to get used to his small stature again.

"FreezeMan, do you have the coordinates programmed into the train?" he asked.

"Indeed I do, sir."

"Excellent." Sean raised his arms over his head and stretched. It had been days since he had actually been himself His guise as Shuryou Gospel was not only used as a menacing alter ego that commanded the NetMafia he had formed, but it also served as a radiation suit inside his apartment, which had been converted into Gospel headquarters.

The ride was long, so Sean had brought along his laptop. He opened his portable computer and began re-reading the profiles of the members of his organization. Arashi Kazefuki was once the owner of a small company which had been bought out by a bigger company. As a result, he lost his job and his wealth and he vowed revenge against anyone who was richer than him. "Speedy" Dave was an environmentalist. He loved nature. Yet he was also an extremist. The way mankind was destroying the environment disgusted him. Gospel offered him the opportunity to save nature by force and he accepted it, proclaiming himself to be fighting on behalf of Mother Nature. Princess Pride was the ruler of Creamland, a country that had once been technologically advanced but had now been left behind as the world advanced beyond it. With no support from any other country, she vowed revenge against the world. Last and not least was Gauss, a successful businessman who had come from a poor family. He had a brother named Jack who was taken in by a rich family, leaving him alone with his parents who eventually died from an illness while he was still a child. Gauss saw that the world cared little, if anything at all, of those who were unfortunate. As a result, he swore to work hard and rise to the top in society so he could destroy it from the very same position from which it had looked down on him as a child.

Gospel had united all these people who shared a common goal: revenge. Everyone had a cause and a goal to achieve. The way Sean saw it, there was no greater drive than a desire to bring justice to those who had wronged oneself. As this thought passed through his head, his hand came to rest on his hoodie and he smiled.

"Sir, we've arrived," FreezeMan reported as the train slowed to a stop.

"Excellent." Sean closed his laptop and unplugged FreezeMan. He stepped out and walked up the stairs out of the station and into the familiar setting of his former hometown.

"Where shall we go from here, sir?" FreezeMan inquired.

"You know that old saying," Sean replied, "family comes first."

ooo

Sean's old attic bedroom had been turned into a storage space. The few possessions that he had left behind either now belonged to his cousins or had been sold. His relatives seemed to have completely forgotten about him. His uncle was away at work, but he could clearly see his aunt and cousins inside through the front window. He ground his teeth when he saw what had been his favorite shirt being used as a rag to wipe up spills. He turned to his cousins. One of them was wearing his jeans. He couldn't take it anymore. He had hated his relatives for a long time, but this sent him over the edge. He plugged his PET into an access box outside the house and sent FreezeMan into the house's computer systems.

"Your orders, sir?" he asked when he landed inside.

"Show them just how cold they were to me," Sean answered with venom dripping from his words.

"What about your uncle, sir? He's away at the moment," FreezeMan pointed out.

"I want him to feel the pain the most. The pain of losing your family." The icy NetNavi nodded and got to work. He created several icicles and fired them into the programs. As soon as they hit, the ice spears exploded and froze everything they touched. The effects could be seen right away. Sean watched as his cousins started to shiver. The indoor thermometer they always kept dropped rapidly.

"Colder, FreezeMan."

"I'm rigging the system right now," FreezeMan reported, "In a few moments, I'll be able to flash freeze them and…"

"No flash freezing, FreezeMan. I want them to suffer." Sean touched his cheek where his uncle had cut him so long ago. "I want them to suffer the way I did."

"Yes, sir."

ooo

Sean's uncle came back home and parked his car in the garage. He got out with his briefcase and walked in through the door. Immediately, he was hit with frigid cold air. "Honey, I'm home!" he managed to call out. But there was no answer. "Honey, have the kids been playing with the thermostat again." He took a step in and the sound of cracking came out from under his feet. He looked down and saw that the floor was covered with a thin layer of ice.

"What the?" He walked into the living room and saw nobody there. He was about to try the kitchen when he saw the couch. A thick blanket had been pulled up over the middle.

"Kids, are you under there?" He walked over to the couch and slowly pulled the blanket away. What he saw caused him to drop his briefcase in horror. There was his wife with their kids, whose skin had turned whitish-blue while she was very near that state. All three of them had put on their thickest winter clothes, but it still wasn't enough to shield them from the cold.

"Honey! What happened?" he asked. His wife tried to answer, but no words could escape her mouth.

"Now you know just how I felt." He turned and watched as Sean stepped in through the open door with a parka hood covering his head.

"You…"

"It's been a long time, uncle. Can't say I'm pleased to see you again. But seeing you like this…it just seems right."

"What did you do to them, you little cretin?"

"I only gave them, and you, exactly what you deserve," answered Sean, "Now you know the pain of losing your family. Now you know MY pain!"

"You little…"

"Be glad I still have SOME shred of mercy left in me, uncle." Sean took a step outside. "I'm not going to let you live alone. You'll see auntie and your kids again soon. In Hell." He slammed the door closed and FreezeMan froze it shut, trapping all the house's inhabitants inside.

"Mission completed, sir," FreezeMan reported upon returning to Sean's PET.

"You did very well in there, FreezeMan," Sean replied as he left the house.

"So do we return to headquarters?"

"Not yet. There's still one more thing I need to do. Let's head back to the motel for now."

"Yes, sir."

ooo

Sean sat in a tree overlooking the schoolyard of his former school. He had been there for an hour waiting for the right opportunity. He checked his PET clock to make sure he was on schedule. Sure enough, the five bullies that had tormented him and murdered his only childhood friend had snuck out of class like they did every Monday afternoon. He watched as they crossed the street to a nearby convenience store. They came back out quickly with Slurpees and candy and headed back to the schoolyard most likely to vandalize the playground equipment. Sean quickly got down from his perch and ran over to meet them.

"And then I stuck his underwear up the flagpole," the largest bully laughed, "Look, it's still up there."

"What a loser!" another cackled as they arrived at the playground, "Hey, look who it is!" Everyone looked and saw Sean sitting on one of the swings.

"Hey loser! Heard ya left town. You back for some more hurt?"

"Good to see you again, too," Sean greeted back, his very being seemingly emitting a dark aura.

"What's the matter? You gone emo now?" the third bully taunted. Sean said nothing. He slowly got up from the swing and reached into his hoodie. He slowly pulled out a small handgun and pointed it at the biggest bully, who just laughed and brushed it off as a toy.

"This is no toy." Sean pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest. The bully collapsed as the bullet pierced his heart.

"Dude, you okay?" the others asked as they crouched down around him. One of them got up to look at Sean, who fired another shot and pierced his jugular.

"What the fuck, man?" the third bully demanded.

"This is for years of torment." Venom dripped from Sean's words as another bullet sailed through the air and struck the bully in the head. The two remaining ones were now very scared. One of them tried to run away, but Sean shot him in the back and he fell just two feet away from the first bully who had fallen. The last one got on his hands and knees and turned toward Sean.

"Hey man, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please let me live!"

"You're not sorry. And you never will be." Sean slowly walked over to the cowering boy and stood over him. "You're done." He pressed his handgun against the bully's head.

"But...why?" the boy pleaded.

"This is the justice my new organization stands for," Sean replied. He pulled the trigger and ended the fifth bully's life. A strong wind blew across the playground as the body collapsed, blowing through Sean's fine grey hair as lightning began to flash from an incoming storm; the corpses seemingly forming a large capital G.

"This is the way...of _Gospel_."

* * *

That finally concludes _My Loneliness_. Thank you all very much for reading. And remember, never forget about Sean!


End file.
